A SHORT HISTORY OF OFFICIAL AND SEMI-

OFFICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS BY THE

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCE ON
HOMOSEXUALITY
The Roman Catholic Church’s Struggle With Homosexuality
Within In Its Own Ranks-And Its Varying Pronouncements On
Homosexuality Over The Ages-Highlight The Need For Ever
Greater Tolerance, Respect And Love For All People,
Regardless Of Sexual Orientation

www.maalawoffices.com
The Author, a practicing Roman Catholic, was one of the lead defense counsel for
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Clergy Sex Abuse Cases.

Summer 2009
 Contents
Introduction
Primary Biblical Proscriptions Cited
By The Roman Catholic Church
Against Homosexuality
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Early Church Council Proscriptions
Against Homosexual Clergy
Modern Vatican Proscriptions
Against Homosexuality
Conclusion 11
Introduction
Roman Catholic pronouncements regarding
2 its condemnation of homosexuality claim to
be founded in the Holy Bible as well as the
broader Magisterium of the Church,
including the writings of Doctors of the
Church from the first centuries of the
Christian era. But on closer examination,
we see that the Church‟s views on
homosexuality are founded in large part on
3
its historical experience with homosexuality
in the ranks of its own clergy and religious.
4
Rather than focusing on the sinfulness that
the Church sees in homosexual acts, the
author believes that the Church and the
faithful should accept and love, without
prejudice or discrimination, all of our
brothers and sisters everywhere, in all times
and places, no matter what their sexual
orientation may be. This is the true message
of Christ: that we love one another. And it
is the message that too often is hidden in the
Church‟s official pronouncements on
homosexuality, especially since the Clergy
sex abuse scandal commenced in 2001.
Some of these pronouncements are set forth
below.
Primary Biblical Proscriptions
Cited By The Roman
Catholic Church Against
Homosexuality
The Genesis account of the destruction of
Sodom is the foundational source of the
biblical proscription against homosexual
activities. Gen. 13:13; 18:20-22; 19:4-8;
and 19:24-25 (Sodom story). Prohibitions
against homosexual behavior are scattered
throughout the Old Testament. See, e.g.,
Leviticus 18: 22 ("You shall not lie with a
male as one lies with a female; it is an
abomination."); 20:13 ("If there is a man
who lies with a male as those who lie with a
woman, both of them have
committed a detestable act; they
shall surely be put to death. Their
bloodguiltiness is upon them.");
Deut. 23:18 ("You shall not bring the
hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog
[i.e., a sodomite] into the house of
the LORD your God for any votive
offering, for both of these are an
abomination to the LORD your
God.").
The New Testament is equally
explicit in its condemnation of
homosexual acts. Among the
primary citations are I Cor. 6:9 ("Or
do you not know that the unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived; neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor [an] effeminate, nor
homosexuals. .. ."); I Tim. 1:9-10
("[the] law is not made for a
righteous person, but for those who
are lawless and rebellious, for the
ungodly and sinners, for the unholy
and profane, for those who kill their
fathers or mothers, for murderers and
immoral men and homosexuals and
kidnappers and liars and perjurers,
and whatever else is contrary to
sound teaching").
St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans
(Rom. 1:24-24), cannot be any
clearer in his condemnation of
homosexual acts:
"That is why God left
them to their filthy
enjoyments and the
practices with which
they dishonor their
own bodies since they
have given up Divine
truth for a lie and have
worshipped and served
creatures instead of the
Creator, Who is blessed
forever. Amen! That is why
God has abandoned them to
degrading passions; why their
women have turned from
natural intercourse to be
consumed with passion for
each other, men doing
shameless things with men
and getting an appropriate
award for their perversion."
See also what St. Paul say says of
"masculorum concubitores" in I Cor. 6:10
("Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes
nor homosexual offenders").
Thus, there can be no doubt that
Sacred Scripture condemns homosexual
relations as a serious depravity.
Early Church Council
Proscriptions Against
Actively Homosexual
Clergy
A comprehensive bibliography of early
Church pronouncements and proscriptions
against homosexuality is set forth at
www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/lgbcathbib1.
html. The texts of several of the decrees of
early Church councils relating to
homosexuality are translated and printed in
Derrick S. Bailey, Homosexuality and the
Western Christian Tradition (London:
Longmans, Green, 1975).
Apparently, the first council that addressed
homosexuality in a major way was the
Council of Elvira, held early in the
4th century at Elvira, near modern
Granada. According to the
Encyclopedia Britannica, it is the
first council of which the canons
have survived. Canon 71
condemned clergy who were
"corrupters of boys."
St. Basil of Nyssa, in his First
Canonical Epistle to Amphilochus of
Iconium, (Epist. 117, canon 62), in
375, and St. Gregory of Nyssa, in his
Canonical Letter to Letoius of
Mytilene (Epist. canonica 4), in 390,
also condemned homosexual acts by
clergy.
Saint Basil's writings on
monasticism emphasized the need to
avoid situations where ephebophelia,
i.e., sex between an older man and a
teenaged boy, could occur:
"It is frequently the
case with young men
that . . . the glowing
complexion of youth
still blossoms forth
and becomes a source
of desire to those
around them. If,
therefore, anyone in
the monastery is
youthful and beautiful
. . . you sit in a chair
far away from that
person . . . Do not be
found with him either
indoors or where no
one can see you
outdoors, no matter
how necessary."
Quoted in J. Boswell, "Homosexuality and
Religious Life: A Historical Approach," in
J. Gramick's (ed.) Homosexuality in the
Priesthood and Religious Life (New York:
Crossroad, 1989), 12.
A century later (in the 5th century), St.
Benedict, in his Rule, established similar
prophylactic rules designed to discourage
homosexual activities among Benedictine
monks:
"All monks are to sleep in
separate beds. . . if possible,
they should sleep in one
room. However, if there are
too many for this, they will
be grouped in tens and
twenties, a senior in charge of
each group. Let a candle
burn throughout the night.
They will sleep in their robes.
. . The younger brothers
should not be next to each
other."
Quoted in J. Boswell, Christianity, Social
Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People
in Western Europe from the Beginning of the
Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
1980), 187-88.
St. Augustine reportedly warned his own
sister about lesbians when she entered the
convent in the year 423. See Michael J.
Maher, "Openly Addressing the Reality:
Homosexuality and Catholic Seminary
Policies," Religion & Education, Vo. 29,
No. 2 (University of Northern Iowa, Fall
2002).
The Second Council of Tours, c. 14, in 567,
decreed that monks must not sleep two to a
bed. Subsequent councils
apparently also railed against
homosexual practices.
The first General Council expressly
criticizing homosexual acts was the
Third Lateran Council in 1179. In
canon 11, it is stated:
"Whoever is caught
involved in that
incontinence which is
against nature, and
because of which 'the
wrath of God came
upon the sons of
disobedience' (Eph.
5:6), and five cities
were consumed by
fire (Gen. 14:24-35),
if they are clerics,
they should be
deposed from clerical
office and placed in a
monastery to do
penance; if they are
laymen, they are to be
excommunicated and
completely isolated
from contact with
believers."
It is noteworthy that, while clerics
guilty of sodomy were placed in
monasteries to do penance, laymen
guilty of sodomy were to be
excommunicated altogether, a much
harsher sentence.
The Fourth Lateran Council in the
13th century also condemned
sodomy by priests. See J. Boswell,
Christianity, Social Tolerance, and
Homosexuality: Gay People in
Western Europe from the Beginning
of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth
Century (Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 1980).
The Council of Paris (1212) and the Council
of Rouen (1214) required nuns to have
separate beds and also required that a lamp
burn all night in their sleeping rooms. See
J.C. Brown, "Lesbian Sexuality in Medieval
and Early Modern Europe," in Duberman,
M., Vicinus, M. & Chauncey, G. (eds.)
Hidden from History: Reclaiming our Gay
and Lesbian Past (New York: Meridian,
1989).
Finally, according to the Fordham
University bibliography cited above, various
local synods in the 13th century issued
canons which referred to sodomy: Paris
1212[ii.21], Rouen 1214, Angers 1216/19,
Beziers 1246; also constitutions of Fulk
Bassest for London 1245/59, Alexander
Stavensby for Coventry, 1224/37, Peter
Quinel for Exeter 1287; also Dominican
statutes, 1238, Carthusian statutes, 1261 and
Cistercian statutes, 1279. For all see Michal
Goodich, The Unmentionable Vice (Santa
Barbara, Ca.: ABC-Clio, 1979), 45-46.
Modern Vatican Proscriptions
Against Homosexuality
Preliminary research did not uncover any
19th century or early 20th century
pronouncements by the Vatican regarding
homosexuality in general or homosexual
seminarians in particular. Set forth below
are the specific Vatican-issued or approved
pronouncements in that regard from the
Vatican II-era forward.
 1961 -- "Careful Selection and
Training of Candidates for the States
of Perfection and Sacred Orders"
The first modern-era proscription by
the Holy See against homosexual
seminarians that I have located was
issued in 1961 (i.e., immediately
prior to Vatican II) by the Vatican's
Sacred Congregation for Religious,
under Pope John XXIII. It is entitled
"Careful Selection and Training of
Candidates for the States of
Perfection and Sacred Orders." At
the time of its publication, the
documents was referred to by the
Sacred Congregation for Religious as
"a matter of public law." It
apparently was first published in the
United States in The Canon Law
Digest, Vol. 5, 1963, Bruce
Publishing Co., Milwaukee. The
document states, in pertinent part, as
follows:
"Advancement to
religious vows and
ordination should be
barred to those who
are afflicted with evil
tendencies to
homosexuality or
pederasty, since for
them the common life
and priestly ministry
would constitute
serious dangers."
 1975 -- "Persona Humana:
Declaration on Certain
Questions Concerning Sexual
Ethics"
In 1975, Cardinal Franjo Seper,
Prefect of the Sacred Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a
"Declaration on Certain Questions
Concerning Sexual Ethics." In this
official pronouncement, the Vatican
"repeat[s] the Church's doctrine on certain
particular points, in view of the urgent need
to oppose serious errors and widespread
aberrant modes of behavior." Art. VI. It
reiterates the "Christian doctrine" that
"every genital act must be within the
framework of marriage." Art. VII.
"[D]issolute sexual union defiles the temple
of the holy spirit which the Christian has
become." Id. Persons who "judge
indulgently" or even "excuse completely"
homosexual relations do so "in opposition to
the constant teaching of the Magisterium
and to the moral sense of the Christian
people." Art. VIII.
In summary, according to the Vatican (circa
1975), homosexual acts are contrary to the
"objective moral order," are condemned by
Sacred Scripture as a "serious depravity"
and "even presented as the sad consequence
of rejecting God," are "intrinsically
disordered," and "can in no case be
approved of." Art VIII.
The Declaration goes on to direct the
Bishops "to see that a sound doctrine [i.e.,
about the sinfulness and depravity of
homosexual acts] enlightened by faith and
directed by the Magisterium of the Church is
taught in faculties of theology and in
seminaries." Art. XIII.
At the same time, the Declaration
distinguishes between homosexuality that is
transitory or not "incurable" and
homosexuality that is definitive and
permanent from an "innate instinct" that is
incurable. It affirms that homosexuals must
be treated with understanding, that "their
culpability is to be judged with prudence,"
that "no moral justification for acts because
of the homosexual condition can be given,"
and that "we cannot conclude those who
suffer from this anomaly are
personally responsible."
 1985 -- "A Memorandum to
Bishops seeking advice in
matters concerning
homosexuality and candidates
for admission to Seminary"
In 1985, Cardinal William Baum,
then Prefect of the Vatican's Sacred
Congregation for Catholic
Education, issued to Bishops in the
United States "A Memorandum to
Bishops seeking advice in matters
concerning homosexuality and
candidates for admission to
Seminary." The Memorandum again
emphasizes a strong Vatican position
against active homosexuals being
accepted into United States
seminaries:
"A candidate for his
homosexually active or who
leads a homosexual lifestyle
(whether he is homosexual or
not) is not acceptable [as a
seminarian]."
"[L]atent or repressed
homosexuality is also a counter-
indication requiring that the
candidate not be accepted -- it
would not be faith to the
individual nor to the seminary
community."
"We feel that the distinction that
has been made in the past
between homosexual practice
and orientation seems to us to
have become blurred, with
'orientation' now allowing of the
embrace of an unacceptable
'commitment' to or support of
homosexual practices or lifestyles."
"We prefer to distinguish between
practice, orientation and temptation, the
first two being counter-indications of
acceptability. Temptations may involve
or depend on orientations, but we prefer
to use the word temptation when the
behavioural [sic] impulse, inclination or
appetite does not involve the orientation
of the kind described above."
 1986 -- ''Letter to the Bishops of the
Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care
of Homosexual Persons''
In 1986, the Vatican's Sacred Congregation
of the Doctrine of the Faith issued its ''Letter
to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the
Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. ''
This document again clearly identifies
homosexuality as a grave disorder: an evil
and depravity. The Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith made clear that
"although the particular inclination of the
homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more
or less strong tendency ordered toward an
intrinsic moral evil; and this the inclination
itself must be seen as an objective disorder."
Referring to its "Declaration on Certain
Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics" of
December 29, 1975, the Congregation
dispelled any possible support for "an overly
benign interpretation [being] given to the
homosexual condition itself." In clarifying
and emphasizing its rejection of homosexual
activities as contrary to natural law and the
Church's Magisterium, this document
stresses the following points:
Although the mere
inclination to homosexuality
not a sin, it nonetheless is a
tendency towards an intrinsic
moral evil. The inclination
itself, therefore, must be seen
as an "objective disorder."
There is a clear consistency
in Scriptures on the
immorality of homosexual
behavior.
When they engage in
homosexual activity,
homosexuals confirm in
themselves "disordered
sexual inclination" which is
"essentially self-indulgent."
A person who engages in
homosexual behavior acts
immorally.
Although the practice of
homosexuality seriously
threatens the lives and well-
being of a large number of
people, its advocates remain
undeterred and refuse to
consider the magnitude of the
risks involved.
It nevertheless is deplorable
that homosexual people are
object of violent malice in
speech or action; such
treatment deserves
condemnation from pastors.
It reveals a disregard for
others endangering the most
fundamental principles of a
healthy society. Each
person's intrinsic dignity
must be respected in word, in action
and in law.
When it is claimed that homosexual
condition is not disordered or when
homosexual activity is condoned we
should not be surprised when
"irrational" and violent reactions
increase.
All support should be withdrawn
from any organizations which seek
to undermine the teaching of the
Church regarding homosexuals and
homosexuality, which are ambiguous
about it or which neglect it entirely.
 1990 -- "Directives on Formation in
Religious Institutes"
In 1990, the Vatican's Congregation for
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life issued its "Directives on
Formation of Religious Institutes." In its
prefatory comments, it states that the
document has "the weight of an Instruction
according to can. 34 of the Code of Canon
Law" and was approved by the Holy Father.
In the section II.D., entitled "Sexuality and
Formation" the Directives state that "those
who do not seem to be able to overcome
their homosexual tendencies, or who
maintain it is possible to adopt a third way,
'living in an ambiguous state between
celibacy and marriage' (104) must be
dismissed from religious life."
 1992 -- ''Some Considerations
Concerning the Catholic Response to
Legislative Proposals on the Non-
Discrimination of Homosexual
Persons''
In 1992, the Vatican's Sacred
Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith issued a
statement entitled ''Some
Considerations Concerning
the Catholic Response to
Legislative Proposals on the
Non-Discrimination of
Homosexual Persons.'' The
document evidently was
designed to influence
Catholic opinion in response
to proposed equal rights
legislation for homosexuals.
It describes homosexuality as
an "objective disorder" and a
'"tendency ordered towards
an intrinsic evil." Rejecting
the concept of homosexual
"human rights," it asserts that
there is "no right" to
homosexuality and that civil
liberties can be "legitimately
limited for objectively
disordered external conduct."
The significant points include
the following:
Sexual orientation does not
constitute a quality
comparable to race, ethnic
background, etc. in respect to
non-discrimination.
There are areas in which it is
not unjust discrimination to
take sexual orientation into
account, e.g., adoption and
foster care, employment of
teachers and athletic coaches
and military recruitment.
Although all persons have the
right to work, housing, etc.,
rights are not absolute; they can be
legitimately limited for objectively
disordered external conduct as in the
case of the physically or mentally ill.
There is no right to homosexuality
which, therefore, it should not form
the basis for juridical claims.
The problem of discrimination does
not usually arise if homosexual
people do not publicize their sexual
orientation.
It is inappropriate for church
authorities to endorse or remain
neutral toward adverse legislation
even if it grants exceptions to church
organizations and institutions.
 1994 -- Catechism of the
Catholic Church
The official Roman Catholic
Catechism strongly condemns
homosexual activities, labeling them
as "acts of grave depravity,"
"intrinsically disordered," and
"contrary to the natural law."
Catechism § 2357. Judging that
homosexual acts "do not proceed
from a genuine affective and sexual
complementarity," the Catechism
declares that "[u]nder no
circumstances can they be
approved." Id.
 2002 -- Pope John Paul II
Himself and Various Vatican
Spokesmen Speak Out Against
Homosexual Seminarians
In apparent response to the clergy
sexual abuse scandal in the United States,
the Holy Father himself, Pope John Paul II,
as well as Vatican spokesman
Joaquin Navarro-Valls and Secretary
of the Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop
Tarcisio Bertone, have all stated
unequivocally that seminaries must
screen out homosexual candidates.
See E. Rossini, "Pope to Church:
Risky Seminarians Must Go,"
National Catholic Register, 15-21
Sept. 2002. J. Thavis, "Vatican's
Spokesman's Comments Highlight
Debate Over Gay Priests," Catholic
News Service, 6 March 2002.
In particular, Pope John Paul II's
spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls,
citing canon law on homosexuality
in a March 3, 2002 interview with
the New York Times, said, "People
with these inclinations just cannot be
ordained." Dr. Navarro-Valls
continued, "That does not imply a
final judgment on people with
homosexuality," and added, "But you
cannot be in this field."
Zenit News reported that "John Paul
II pointedly instructed bishops to be
extremely careful in their selection
of candidates for the priesthood, in
order to avoid a repetition of the
scandals linked to emotional
disorders." Zenit continued that the
Pope said "it would be lamentable
that..youths with obvious signs of
emotional disorders, be admitted to
ordination" and that mistakes in
choosing such candidates for the
priesthood "can cause grave scandal
in the consciences of the faithful and
obvious harm for the whole Church."
Catholic World News also used the
term "emotional disorders". The
story also is printed on the EWTN
website at
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?n
umber=29282.
CNN reported "Pope John Paul II says that
to preserve itself, the Roman Catholic
Church has to be much more careful not to
let men with 'deviations in their affections'
enter the priesthood." See
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/
09/05/pope.priests/index.html. ABC News
also used the term "deviations in their
affections". See
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/
09/05/pope.priests/index.html
The December 8-14 issue of the National
Catholic Register quoted the Secretary of
the Congregation for Divine Worship and
the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal
Jorge Medina Estévez, as follows:
Ordaining homosexuals "is
absolutely inadvisable and imprudent
and, from a pastoral point of view,
very risky. . . [A] person who is
homosexual or has homosexual
tendencies is not, therefore, suitable
to receive the sacrament of holy
orders."
Pro. n. 886/02/0 Vatican City, May 16,
2002.
The Jesuit's Catholic weekly, America,
reports that the Rev. Andrew R. Baker of the
Vatican's Sacred Congregation for Bishops
noted that the homosexual orientation “is
fundamentally flawed in its disordered
attraction because it can never „image‟ God
and never contribute to the good of the
person or society.” A Catholic News Service
story (Am., Signs of the Times, 10/21)
discussing an anticipated position paper on
the subject quotes an unnamed source
saying, “The document‟s position is
negative, based in part on what the
Catechism of the Catholic Church
says in its revised edition, that the
homosexual orientation is
„objectively disordered.‟ Therefore,
independent of any judgment on the
homosexual person, a person of this
orientation should not be admitted to
the seminary and, if it is discovered
later, should not be ordained.”
U.S.C.C.B. pronouncements
on homosexuality and
homosexual clergy
 1976 -- "The Gift of
Sexuality"
In response to the uproar in
the Catholic gay and lesbian
community over the “Declaration on
Certain Questions Concerning
Sexual Ethics” issued by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith on Dec. 29, 1975, Bishop
Francis Mugavero of Brooklyn N.Y.,
on behalf of the Bishops of the
United States, issued a pastoral letter
on February 11, 1976, entitled "Gift
of Sexuality." In it, Bishop
Mugarevo commenting in a very
sensitive way on the C.D.F.
Declaration. It emphasized that
"Homosexuals, like everyone else,
should not suffer from prejudice
against their basic human rights,
They have a right to respect,
friendship, and justice. They should
have an active role in the Christian
community." It did not waiver,
however, from the Church's firm
prohibition of homosexual activities.
 1976 -- " To Live in Christ Jesus: A
Pastoral Reflection on the Moral Life"
In 1976, the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops also published "To Live in
Christ Jesus: A Pastoral Reflection on the
Moral Life" In it, the Bishops
acknowledged that homosexual orientation
is not voluntary. It calls for homosexuals to
live a life of chastity.
 1991 -- "Human Sexuality"
In 1991, the United States Catholic
Conference published Human Sexuality.
The ADLA has excerpts from it regarding
pastoral and pedagogical approaches to the
question of homosexuality in its Vocations
office. Human Sexuality reiterates the
Church's concern that homosexuals and
persons with homosexual tendencies "must
certainly be treated with understanding."
The requirement that homosexuals live
chaste and celibate lives is stressed.
Educationally, the issue must be skirted but
instead "faced in all objectivity by the pupil
and the educator when the case presents
itself." While respect must be taught for
every human being regardless of sexual
orientation, "the unambiguous moral norms
of the Christian tradition regarding
homosexual genital activity" must be
presented "clearly and delicately." For
persons struggling with his or her
homosexual orientation, the pastor and
educator should bear in mind that the
distinction between being homosexual and
doing homosxual genital actions, "while not
always clear and convincing, is a helpful and
important one when dealing with the
complex issue of homosexuality."
 1998 -- "Always Our Children: A
Pastoral Message to Parents of
 Homosexual Children and
Suggestions for Pastoral
Ministers."
In 1998, the National
Conference of Catholic Bishop's
Committee on Marriage and Family
issued "Always Our Children: A
Pastoral Message to Parents of
Homosexual Children and
Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers."
In it, the United States Catholic
Conference seems to depart from the
Vatican's position in the 1986 ''Letter
to the Bishops of the Catholic
Church on the Pastoral Care of
Homosexual Persons,'' namely, that a
homosexual orientation, by its very
nature, "is a more or less strong
tendency ordered toward an intrinsic
moral evil; and thus the inclination
itself must be seen as an objective
disorder."
In particular, the 1998 NCCB
statement says that "by itself,
therefore, a homosexual orientation
cannot be considered sinful, for
morality presumes the freedom to
choose . . .." The American Bishops
further stated that "Homosexual
persons who are living chaste lives
should have opportunities to lead and
serve the community." It is unclear
whether they refer to the "Church"
community, or the community at
large.
Some other key points
include:
Sexuality is a gift of God.
Everyone should acknowledge
and accept [his] sexual identity
which helps us define the unique
persons we are. One component, sexual
orientation, is a deep-seated, relatively
stable dimension of one's personality
experienced as a given and not
something freely chosen.
Homosexuals are still people of God and
are "gifted and called" for a purpose in
God's design.
Nothing in the Bible or Catholic
teaching can be used to justify
prejudicial or discriminatory attitudes
and behaviors towards homosexual
people.
The fundamental rights of homosexual
persons must be defended and all must
strive to eliminate injustice, oppression
or violence.
Homosexuals have a right to be
welcomed into the community, to hear
the word of God and to receive pastoral
care.
It is God's plan that every act of sexual
intercourse occur only in marriage
between a man and a woman and be
open to new life.
Conclusion
In summary, official and semi-official
Vatican pronouncements since the clergy
sexual abuse scandal erupted in 2001
suggest a distinct hardening and
narrowing of the Vatican's position with
respect to the admission of homosexuals
into Catholic seminaries in response to
the clergy sexual abuse scandal, i.e., that
persons with a homosexual orientation,
even if they do not practice homosexual
acts, should not be admitted to, and if
 they are admitted already, should
be dismissed from, seminaries.

This signals a marked departure from

the pre-scandal statements that :

Nothing in the Bible or Catholic

teaching can be used to justify
prejudicial or discriminatory
attitudes and behaviors towards
homosexual people.

The fundamental rights of

homosexual persons must be
defended and all must strive to
eliminate injustice, oppression or
violence.

Homosexuals have a right to be

welcomed into the community, to
hear the word of God and to
receive pastoral care.